Aunt Dee Says - I Am Exhausted

It's been a trying week.  What with the election and the trauma of catching a burglar trying to break into our house, Aunt Dee and I are both pretty exhausted!  A little irreverent art therapy is just what the doctor ordered.

A friend of mine recently gifted me a set of Dylusions (Dyan Reaveley) stamps with snarky comments, and they pair perfectly with good ol' Aunt Dee.  I decided to make a couple of postcards to send to friends who are similarly exhausted this week.  I used picked raspberry, spiced marmalade and mustard seed distress inks to create my background on a piece of bristol vellum paper.  Aunt Dee and the sentiment were stamped separately on white cardstock and cut out.

For the address side of the postcard, I cut another piece of bristol vellum the same size and embossed it with the postcard frame folder by Sizzix.  (The embossing did not show up well in the scan, so I darkened it a little for you.)  I glued the front and back together, and sealed the edges with a polka dot washi tape.  This was a fun little project that lifted my spirits and will no doubt do the same for the recipients.

Have a fabulous day!

Supplies:
Strathmore bristol vellum paper; picked raspberry, spiced marmalade and mustard seed distress inks; spray bottle of water; Aunt Dee image (unknown manufacturer); Dylusions sentiment by Dyan Reaveley; Ranger Archival black ink; Staedtler pigment ink pen; washi tape; postcard frame embossing folder by Sizzix.

Precious Penguin Cards

I had two more penguin images already stamped, so I made two more cards and sent them on their way.

Christmas is just one week away!  Are you ready?

Supplies:
Lilac cardstock by Bazzill; green and whisper white cardstock by Stampin' Up; penguins by Stampendous; sentiment by My Sentiments Exactly; Ranger Archival jet black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; Sizzix falling snow embossing folder; round, lacy round and banner die-cuts by Spellbinders; corner rounder punch; Stickles; Glossy Accents; Scotch foam tape.

White Poinsettia

As much as I was enjoying the snowman cards, I was ready to switch things up.  I get a little bored making multiples of the same card, so for Christmas I generally make several designs.  I did decide to stay with a mostly white card, however.  My eyes are appreciating a rest from all of the heavy layering and colors I tend to use.

I used the poinsettia die-cut by Spellbinders as my focal image, sponging a little gold ink around the edges of the petals.  I used gold Stickles for the centers.  In order to maintain the clean and crisp look of this card, I decided to put the sentiment on the inside.

Thanks for popping by!  Have a great day.

Supplies:
White cardstock by Bazzill; poinsettia die by Spellbinders; falling snow embossing folder by Sizzix; gold ribbon from Michaels; corner rounder punch; galaxy gold Brilliance ink pad by Tsukineko; gold Stickles; Scotch foam tape; Glue Dots; Glossy Accents.

Quick "Play it Forward" Notecard

Ten minute cards are not in my DNA.  I can spend two to three hours (or longer!) making just one card.  But let's face it, some days I don't have that kind of time, and not every card has to be a "masterpiece."  Sometimes, like today, I just want a simple but artsy notecard to send with a Play it Forward art trade, and the beauty of making my own cards is that I can do that, and fairly quickly (even for me).

I stamped the girls from Artistic Outpost, masked them, then stamped the buildings.  I sponged on distress inks for added color.  The background is a Tim Holtz embossing folder, highlighted with distress ink.



Besides being quick and cute, this card scores points in my book because it was made entirely with scraps from my paper bin.

Thanks for visiting my blog!

Supplies:
Black, very vanilla, and naturals ivory cardstock from Stampin' Up; brown cardstock by Bazzill; black Stazon ink; frayed burlap, vintage photo, and stormy sky distress ink, Tim Holtz (Sizzix) embossing folder; oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities.

Iris-Inspired Sympathy Cards

While driving around this past week we saw the prettiest bearded irises in bloom.  The petals were pale lavender and a deep, rich purple.  I decided to use those colors, with plenty of warm white, to make some sympathy cards.

I used Marvy Markers to stamp the flowers, stamping off once without reinking in order to get the lighter flower.  I also used a paler shade of green on the stem, to make it look like it's behind the two darker flowers.


Thanks for dropping by.

Supplies:
White (orange peel) and purple cardstock by Bazzill; whisper white cardstock from Stampin' Up; rubber stamps from Stampin' Up; black Stazon ink; Marvy markers; Sizzix (Tim Holtz) embossing folder; square Nestabilities; corner rounder punch; pop-dots.